Strategies of Visibilization

Cultural studies scholars have addressed the systemic underrepresentation of women* in the art field. This results in an impoverished, male dominated art historical canon.

If art collections and exhibitions play a significant role in nation-building projects, should we not question whether there is a gender imbalance in the construction of national identity through art and culture?

“Strategies of Visibilization” presents all of the artists taking part in mumok’s exhibition program between 1998 and 2018, and compares the proportions of participation for each gender.

The installation thematizes the female representation of the “Global North” and the “Global South”, categories implied in the concepts of “Center” and “Periphery” of the art field.

In the installation, the audience can spatially experience the already widely discussed underrepresentation of women in the art world. From a subjective-critical perspective and by addressing questions about representation, positioning in the artistic field and power relationships within the museological context, I also seek to contribute to the debates about loss, mourning and restitution of women having been denied a position in the art field.